You Ready?
by LeYoYo
Summary: Beca Mitchell has just entered her senior year. It's meant to be full of love and friendship, right? But not to Beca Mitchell. Having kept her head down all her high school life, she has never noticed the bubbling pot of goody-goodness of school superstar Jesse Swanson. With the help of one harmless Truth or Dare game, can Beca's cold heart finally melt? Dammit. My summaries suck.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Look guys, I'm being very stupid here. two stories in a day. But this isn't really a story, I'm going to delete it after a week anyway. Cheers.**

* * *

Life was fairly easygoing for Beca Mitchell. Apart from the occasional clash with her mother, she was doing quite well. Her grades were quite high, despite the fact she seldom studied, she had no friends, a pretty devastating situation for some, but she saw it as a blessing, and her music. According to Beca, life was pretty worthless without music. What would she do without the tune floating into her ears, washing away the disturbances of life? How could she cope without it?

There were kids who went, 'Yeah, music's cool. Have you heard Justin Bieber's new song?! So good, right?'. Congratulations, you've earned yourself a raised eyebrow, an eye-roll and made yourself an enemy of Beca Mitchell. And the inevitable, 'Yeah, yeah, I know right? Wait what? Oh, wanna go out sometime?'. That would be an icy glare, an indignant 'no', and the resounding footfalls of Beca as she stomps away. Of course, there was the rare person who was as immersed in music as Beca was, but the conversations never lasted for long. It was either, 'Yes, yes, music is something that unites us all - oh, crap! I totally forgot I had to practice seven hours of piano today, not five!' or 'What would life be without music? Well... Oh, are you sure? The Beyoncé album is being released today?! See ya later, Mitchie!' So, after a rather pointless search for someone who could have an ounce of the passion Beca had, she gave up. She could just about imagine those weird science shows she watched to waste time. Aim: Find someone who loves music as much as me. Hypothesis: There will be no-one. Materials: Music, me and the possible someone. Method: Find the someone. Results: There was no-one. Conclusion: I was right, there was no-one. The end.

* * *

It was the beginning of Beca's second year at her high school. Not that that made any difference to her.

As Beca stiffly walked through the wide corridors of the school hallway, clutching her textbooks, earphones in ears, she hummed softly to a random song she had picked up from the radio. Her day was going to be just as monotonous as any other first day. Do an excruciatingly hard test in Biology, get toasted by her Maths teacher, reject some idiotic perverts, evade the typical, 'Oh my god, did you get those clothes from the rubbish dump?!' and finish her mashup of 'Paradise' by Coldplay and 'Superheroes' by The Script. Yep, that sounded like a plan. Now, eight periods. Why did the school even bother with so many periods? Eight stupid lessons to get through. She'd much rather sleep through a one-hour lesson than endure the embarrassment of falling flat on her face as she briskly walked, more like stumbled, to her next class. Beca thought her day would pass as quickly as it came if she kept her head down low, but only God knew what was to happen if she kept her head too low.

"Oof!"

As she rounded the corner, her head collided with a hard object, knocking her earbuds out of her ears. A similar cry of surprise could be heard right in front of her. She struggled to maintain her posture, as she straightened up and looked at the _thing_ that had so rudely ruined her day. Her eyes levelled with a chocolate-haired boy, who was struggling to keep a grin off his face.

"What's your problem?" Beca glared at him.

The boy rubbed his chest and responded, "I would say the same for you. I know you are attracted to me, but you don't have to kiss my chest to prove it."

"What?! I haven't seen you before today! I don't even know you. Don't go around making fun of people's height!" Her face flared to a bright shade of pink, which was quite impressive for such a pale person.

"I didn't make fun of your height, you brought that along yourself. But, that reminds me, you _are_ pretty short."

That was the last straw.

"Dude! Would you just get lost? I'm trying to get to my English class and this nerdy hunk materialises in front of me, denying me access!"

"Wait. You have English too! I'll walk you there. And by the way, I was trying to get to my locker when a surly elf with excess eyeliner clumsily pranced into my chest."

"I do not prance!"

"Tell that to the bystanders."

He grinned and gestured at two girls, giggling by their locker. They whispered to each other, pointing at Beca. One was even imitating her, prancing exaggeratedly into her locker whilst the other was collapsing into a fit of giggles. Beca 's eyes drilled into their heads, fists clenched, ready to sock the sparkly makeup off their faces. Taking hint, the girls stopped and quickly walked away, still chortling at their joke. She began to walk to her class, grumbling.

"So, elf. What's your name?" The boy easily kept up with her.

"As if I'm telling you that."

"I'll know after English so you should just tell me now."

"No."

"Aw, c'mon. It's the first step to developing a friendship."

"I don't want to be friends with you."

"What? I am the best person to be friends with. I can tell that we will be best friends and, or lovers."

Beca glanced at him, the annoyance evident in her eyes.

"Please don't say lovers."

"Hey, hey, at least we can be best friends!"

"No."

"Our differences - "

He was cut off by the distinct sound of Beca opening their classroom door. She smirked triumphantly at him as she entered the room.

"For once, I am grateful we have class."

"Nuh, uh. I'm not done yet, elfy."

* * *

She knew English was about to become a living a nightmare. He had decided to sit next to her instead of the nerd in the magician's cape or the ogling girls in the back corner. There were spare seats all over the classroom, but for some stupid reason, he occupied the seat next to her. She was used to being alone. Alone during the breaks. Alone during class. Alone at home. Alone was the way she liked to roll. Occasionally, she didn't mind the late person sitting next to her. They never bothered to talk to 'the surly kid with the piercings'. Usually, conversations would be a simple, 'Hey can I borrow a pen?' or 'What did the teacher say?'. But this was different. The boy had _a choice_ and he chose to sit there. Why couldn't the infuriating moron leave her alone?

Then the unthinkable happened.

"Class... I am Mrs Longan, I will be your English teacher this year. These seats will be permanent so it will be easier to get to know you all better!"

There were collective groans from all over the class, but the loudest was by far Beca's. She could not fathom a year sitting next to that boy. Beca wasn't even sure if she could make it out of high school alive.

Then, the boy raised his hand.

"Yes," she skimmed over her roll quickly, "What's your name?"

"It's Jesse, Jesse Swanson. And I wanted to ask what we are doing this term?"

The dude did have a name after all. Beca rolled his name over her tongue. Nice name.

"I'll get to that. It's good to know someone is thinking!"

Beca glanced at him. His cheery personality seemed to radiate all over the classroom. She wondered how his girlfriend could cope with his overly bubbly enthusiasm.

She didn't pay much attention after that. It was the typical first-day drone. Inconspicuously, she stuck her earbuds into her ears and allowed the music to wash over her. It wasn't until much later that she felt a slight prod on her shoulder. Beca jolted awake with a start, alertly scanning the classroom. Everyone's eyes were on her, their mouths curved into sniggers and smiles. Mrs Longan shook her head, pressing her lips together.

"You are Beca Mitchell, is that correct? Dr. Mitchell wouldn't want to know his daughter is slacking off in English!"

Oh crap. Stupid teacher. You just gave away my damn name. She stole a side glance at Jesse. He was trying to suppress a smile as he grinned victoriously at her. His eyes twinkled, _I know your name now!_.

"Miss Mitchell?"

Beca turned back to the teacher.

"Yes, Miss?"

"Pay attention, and I recommend you take those headphones out of your ears."

 _Earphones, woman! I know you're old, but you can't be that old to not know what these are,_ Beca mentally sighed, and stared at the whiteboard, boredom washed over her. This day could not get any worse.

* * *

 **A/N: Review in vain if you want. Or maybe you want to salvage the story. Blah, Idc. Your choice, folks.**

 **Happy reading/deleting for me.**

 **Cheers,**

 **LeYoYo**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello Ladies and Jecamen, this is what you have _not_ been waiting for _._ This is just a mini-celebration chapter for all those who wanted it to be continued. Real summary will come up soon, and my deathbed will be awaiting me. Yay it's not being deleted! *Cough* *Cough*.**

* * *

The day had been so predictable.

It was painfully boring. As usual. Beca knew how many kids had always dreamt of reaching their senior years to rule the school and attend that ridiculous event called 'prom'. For her, it was just the final year of torture before LA would finally become a reality and she would no longer have to stay in Atlanta. But for now, she'd have to get past the hordes of examinations, devilish teachers, snobbish sorority girls and the perverted players of her grade. And _him._ Yep, _him_ was the one, the only, moron of Grade 12, Jesse Swanson. Why did she have to bump into _him_ of all people?

Apparently, he was the jock, the brains and the pop star all rolled into one. According to Chloe. Chloe was the kind of girl you'd expect Jesse to date. She was bubbly (even more bubbly than him, which was practically impossible, extremely optimistic, overly enthusiastic and annoyingly friendly. And the red hair. It seemed as if all redheads were always so cheerful and as radiant as their hair. And the hair made it much easier for her to recognise Chloe in the crowd, and make a quick and sneaky escape. How they met... well, it was certainly in a much less unfortunate circumstance than how she met Jesse. It was lunch, and as all lunches went, the popular girls and guys were in their cliques, leaving the misfits in their ragtag bunches. So, being the _darling_ Chloe was to everyone, she invited Beca over to her table.

"Mitchell! Over here!" a high pitch voice yelled from across the cafeteria.

Beca stopped in her tracks. What? The only people who knew her name were those in her English class, and this high-pitched voice was most definitely not present. She turned around, frowning at the voice. There, in the corner of the cafeteria was a redhead, and a group of other people. There was a tall leggy brunette, an Indian guy with hippie glasses, a tiny Asian that looked like one of those Kimmi dolls, an overweight blonde and the magician from English. The redhead exuberantly waved her over, the bench almost rocking with her enthusiasm, and her juice was on the brink of falling over. Noticing the stares from the onlookers Beca decided to join them, just to save herself from the unnecessary embarrassment.

The ginger began clapping her hands energetically and introducing each of the others whilst nodding her head so quickly that it made Beca dizzy following its movements.

"Hi! I'm Chloe. This is Stacie, Donald - "

"Woah, woah! Stop. First, how do you know my name? And second why did you call me over here anyway? I was having a _wonderful_ time until you shouted out my name," Beca glared at the bubbling pot of happiness, tapping her foot impatiently.

The brunette named Stacie smiled. "I like her already."

Nameless Blondie studied Beca intently, before coming to the conclusion, "Yep, she's got that fat-titude."

"Dude!" Beca raised her eyebrow at Chloe, "How the heck do you know my name?"

"You know..." there was a sly grin on her face, "Dr. Mitchell, says 'my daughter, Beca Mitchell', a lot. And we saw in last year's yearbook that Beca Mitchell looked strikingly like you."

"I'm gonna kill him..." Beca grumbled.

"Oh well!" Chloe clapped her hands again, that stupid grin on her face, "Have a seat!"

"Okay..."

Well this ragtag bunch of misfits didn't seem too dangerous. The lunch was actually quite enjoyable. Their characters were all so different, yet they all got along so well with each other. There was Stacie, 'our sex queen, lost her virginity at thirteen', Donald, 'the Raptor, got suspended for humping a tree and party guy', Lily, 'Asian assassin, got expelled for throwing knives' (Okay, she sounded a _little_ dangerous), Fat Amy (What kind of name was that?), 'the Aussie fat power of the group, Tasmanian Tiger and mermaid dancer' and Benji, 'the magic fanatic, got stuck for three days in a cold dark box with no food and water'. And there was Chloe, Miss Sunshine. There were stories of their childhood that had Beca snorting, and jokes that had her rolling her eyes, so the lunch seemed quite decent. Until this came up.

"Hey, I saw you with Jesse Swanson this morning..." Beni piped up, beaming.

"No... no, not him again..." Beca groaned, cringing from the memory.

"Oh my god!" Stacie gaped at Beca in horror, "You _are_ getting a piece of that man candy, aren't ya?"

"No! Ew... Totally... Gross..."

Now it was Fat Amy's turn to gape.

"Do you even know who he is?!"

Beca frowned at them. There was something going on... Who was Jesse? Surely he couldn't be that important...

"He is the hottest guy in the school with a Kelly Clarkson vocal range, Zac Efron body and Einstein brains! What more can you possibly wish for?!" Chloe squeaked.

No wonder his chest was so hard when she hit it, and how he answered everything correctly in English. Oh god.

"I didn't know that, and there is no way I'm getting near him. I'm forced to sit with him in English. It's really annoying actually."

"You are insane, girl..." Donald leaned closer, "I have tried to take all the girls in this school, but all of them keep getting' away! Jesse Swanson takes 'em all without even trying."

"You play Truth or Dare? 'Coz, I got the perfect dare, unless you aren't game enough. Yeah?" Fat Amy did a Cheshire Cat grin, her hands clasped together, eyes penetrating Beca's.

There was no way she was going to let these people get the better of her. Even if the dare did involve something ridiculous... it couldn't be that bad. Beca the badass is the queen of dares, and in her seventeen years of existence, no-one had gotten the better of her in Truth or Dare. And she wasn't going to stop now.

"Sure, give me your worst. I've got a perfect dare streak." Beca smirked at the blonde.

"Y'know Jesse, yeah? You gotta kiss him. If you do, you keep your streak. If you don't you break it and lose your chance with Swanson. Fair?"

Beca gaped at her. Of course. _Of course._ Everything had to do with Jesse Swanson. Should she forfeit now or do the one thing she will regret for the rest of her life? She bit her lip as five pairs of eyes stared at her, awaiting her response.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi again. I didn't edit. If there are errors, tell me, so I can correct them. Should she agree to the dare? And I think the title should become Truth or Dare. Give me your opinions. Now. Wait, wait, sorry ... I meant can you _please_ give me your opinions. Okay, let's all celebrate with wine. *Glug* *Glug*. Y'know... wha... feelin... sorta... dizzy... up... *faints*.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am back with another horrible chapter.** **Thanks all for reviewing, following and favouriting. I really don't deserve it.**

 **Disclaimer: I forgot all about it, but I don't own anything. (I REALLY WANT THOSE DJ SKILLS, BECA!)**

* * *

"Okay, I'm in."

Beca regretted those words as soon as they left her mouth. What was she thinking? Kiss Jesse Swanson, a dude she had never met, but was apparently king of the school? If he was as amazing (Chloe's words not hers) as they had said, he would have hordes of drooling fangirls, armies of jock buddies and the inevitable girlfriend. She was not a relationship-wrecker, no, she was far from that. Ever since that fateful day five years ago, she never wanted anything to do with relationships, after she got the brunt of the blow of the divorce.

It was hard. The parents that were supposed to care, love and support her every step of the way spent most of their time quarrelling, and ignoring her. And it was all that blonde bimbo's fault. Only a year before that, everything was happy and normal, and she had the typical life of an eleven-year old girl. But after Sheila came into the picture, Beca's world flipped. Her father had met Sheila at some literature convention, and immediately hit it off. The relationship had gone for several months before Beca's mother found his love letter to Sheila. Sheila the relationship-wrecker. Sheila the woman behind all Beca's trust issues. So no, Beca was not going there. Even if she hated this guy, she didn't want to cause anything between him and his girlfriend.

"Goodie, goodie gumdrops!" Chloe squeaked, her hands rubbing so hard together, Beca could have sworn she saw sparks of sunshine and rainbows fly off from the excessive friction, "Now, we can finally get Jesse Swanson to dump Aubrey's ass!"

Aubrey... Aubrey Posen? _Oh crap._ The only other asshat in the school apart from Jesse was Aubrey Posen. Beca may not have noticed the social status of many people (hell, she didn't even know many people, other than her teachers), but she knew Aubrey Posen. Cheer-captain, prom queen, singing sensation, model and Van Gogh of high school. No. She knew she couldn't do it. Aubrey was too hard to lure away, once she had gotten her target. And she had already wanted nothing to do with relationships. What if this little dare with the Jesse Swanson turn into something much larger and more complicated?

"Oh my god! Water! Water! Someone! Water!" Stacie shrieked, snapping Beca out of her daze, her arms flailing as she collapsed onto the bench, "Jesse Swanson... Swanson..." and she passed out, still smiling.

Beni looked up from his magic manual. His eyes widened with realisation as he pointed vigorously at the cafeteria doors. Beca turned to the direction of Benji's shaking hand. The rest of the school had automatically quietened down, the loud chatters dropping to hushed whispers so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The doors swung open, and there, standing in all his glory (she did _not_ think that), was the one, the only, asshat, Jesse Swanson. And on his arm was his bitchy girlfriend, Aubrey Posen.

"Hello, Barden!" a low, sexy voice resounded over the quiet cafeteria.

Almost immediately were desperate cries to lure Jesse over to their table, and the pandemonium increased to an unbelievable level. And of course, Beca, being one for quiet and darkness, stuck her earphones in her ears and stalked out, away from the chaos. This mission was going to be impossible.

* * *

How could she have not noticed? In English, the continual ogling, in the hallways, more ogling, and there were always hordes of people crowded around his locker. If she couldn't do the dare, she'd break her dare streak . And in the cafeteria, if he could elicit that response every time he arrived there with his new, super-hot girlfriend, how could she not hear the noise (totally nothing to do with earphones set to max volume)? And Aubrey, why did Chloe always seem so eager to insult her? Even if Beca didn't _exactly_ care about Chloe, it was sort of nice having friends, and if she turned the dare down, the looks of betrayal from her new-found acquaintance (maybe, friends...) would probably be too much. So, yeah, she had to do it. At least she didn't have a time limit. They always made things worse. So, she had the rest of the year to do this stupid dare. Ugh.

The period bell blasted through the speakers (even louder than her music, which is pretty loud when you think about it). Oh crap. _Oh crap._ English. _English_ of all subjects there could possibly be at the end of the day. And you know what that meant. Jesse Swanson. The asshat.

"Hey, Beca! Elfy!"

 _Here we go again,_ Beca thought miserably, as Jesse caught up with her. He could be the king for all she cared, but she didn't want anything to do with him. The sooner she got this dare out of the way, the better.

"Dwarf! Weirdo!"

She cast an annoyed sideways glance at him and continued walking.

"Fairy?"

Nope. She wasn't going to answer.

"Baby?"

Sorry dude. Won't give you the pleasure of -

 _"Like baby, baby, baby, oh... I thought you would always be mine, mine._ "

That's it.

"Dude. Shut up!" Beca whirled around, fury evident in her eyes, the icy blue piercing a hole in his head.

Jesse watched her for a few moments and shrugged triumphantly.

"Knew you'd love my singing."

"I don't! It's a combination of a dying cat and a frog with a cold!"

Okay. Beca did think it was okay (meaning, beyond amazing). But it was wrong. Really wrong. He had Aubrey. She had... stuff it.

"Don't lie."

"Anyways, aren't you supposed to be singing that song to your stuck-up girlfriend?"

He paused for a moment, very un-Jesse-like.

"We've hit a rough patch."

Oh. Beca's mind swirled with thoughts of how to fulfil the dare. If he was in the difficult about-to-break-up stage, this might be her chance to finally get the dare over and done with. But that would spark rumours. How she hated rumours. Somewhere private, possibly. Maybe at her house? Dammit, Jesse Swanson wouldn't go to her rat's nest of a home. His house would probably be like Buckingham Palace. Enormous. Really fancy. And a far cry from her house. She knew she was way out of his league. She might as well give up already.

"Oh? Okay."

"Yeah, she's being a bitch and all, you know?"

She was stunned. Why would he ask her this? The full of relationship trust issues person? Probably because he didn't know anything about her. No-one did.

Beca responded with a short laugh, "No, I don't know."

"You've got a pretty laugh."

Dammit. What had she gotten herself into now?! Noticing the classroom a few metres ahead, she dashed through it and scrambled into her seat, her heart thudding with questions. Why would he tell her this? Why would he say that to a person both vertically and socially challenged? Shouldn't he be talking and flirting with someone in the top social circle like one of Aubrey's fake bitchy bodyguards? The unanswered questions continued disturbing her throughout English that she didn't notice Jesse Swanson slipping a note into her bag.

When she briskly stumbled out of class, she collided into the lockers opposite, the force knocking all the books from her tiny shaking hands. Goddamn Swanson. Beca bent down to gather them up, only to find a pair of strong warm hands beating her to it. Tentatively, she snatched the books and looked up at her saviour. A familiar pair of amused eyes gazed back at her. Jesse. Swanson.

"I think you should check your bag when you get home," the low mesmerising husky voice whispered.

Jesse waved and smiled at her as he exited through the school gate. What was he talking about? Beca fumbled through her bag, groping at the chaotic disarray of items within. Her hand came into contact with a small piece of paper, and she pulled it out, eyes curious.

 _Hello Elfy!_

 _Here's my number... ##-###-###-###._

 _\- J. Swanson_

Beca nearly dropped the note. Jesse giving her his phone number? The most popular guy giving the socially awkward misfit his phone number?! He had to be kidding her. Maybe this was a prank. It had to be a prank.

Then, she felt her phone vibrating in the depths of her pockets. Please, please, don't be Swanson. No... She bit her lip as she stared at the message. Her hand was shaking so much that it felt completely numb.

 _Hey Elf. I got your phone number. Did you get my note?_ ㈳5㈳5㈳5㈳5

Oh Crap.

* * *

 **A/N: Reviewing would make be feel better. I have to restart my 'You Promised' to change the storyline because everyone wants it to be happy. So, don't expect any updates for another week. And the song I used is everybody's _favourite_... 'BABY' by Justin Bieber. No, no, don't kill me. I am too young to die.**

 **Cheers,**

 **LeYoYo**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I have no idea what's got into me. Usually, I'd wait a decade before I update, but I've done four chapters in a month. That deserves a trophy, don't you think? And thanks for the reviews.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own anything except my organs.**

* * *

Unknown _:  
_ _I know you got my message... I think?_

Unknown _:  
_ _Um... Anyone there?_

Unknown:  
 _If this is someone else's phone number, I am so sorry._

Unknown:  
 _But if you happen to know a girl called Beca Mitchell, can you tell me her phone number?_

Unknown:  
 _I have something very important to tell her._

Unknown:  
 _I am not a stalker. She knows me very well._

Beca watched the messages appear, as her phone vibrated uncontrollably. She wanted to answer, but it was so funny to watch. Jesse Swanson - _The_ Jesse Swanson trying to figure out if this was Beca Mitchell's phone number. So, she waited a bit longer, smirking as more messages flashed onto her screen.

Unknown:  
 _Wait... This is most definitely Beca Mitchell's phone number. I know it._

Unknown:  
 _Only she ignores people like this._

Unknown:  
 _Can you please text me back? Please?_

Unknown:  
 _Pretty please with a cherry on top?_

Unknown:  
 _I'll unleash Aubrey's wrath on you._

Unknown:  
...

Unknown:  
 _Damn, threats don't work on you, do they?_

Unknown:  
 _If you don't answer, I'll start spamming your phone with Justin Bieber lyrics. Starting with your favourite.  
Baby, baby, baby...? Actually, elf sounds better...  
Elfy, elfy, elfy, oh... __Elfy, elfy, elfy, oh... Elfy, why won't you reply...?_

Beca bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. What a nerve this dude had! Sending _her_ Justin Bieber lyrics. He really was clueless about her. Maybe Aubrey was obsessed with Justin Bieber enough to persuade him to join the dark side. Her fingers lingered over her phone. Should she reply? Or should she keep him in his misery? If she was silent, then she'd probably end up with a million missed messages tomorrow morning, but if she answered, she'd be subject to more Justin Bieber harassment. So, she decided to reply, just to save gigs, for any new song releases. She saved his profile contact as 'Jesse Bieber' and began typing her message, and smiled as she hit 'send'.

Beca:  
 _Elfy huh?  
Swanson, Swanson, Swanson, dammit... Swanson, Swanson, Swanson, dammit... Swanson, won't you just shut up...?_

Half a millisecond later...

Jesse Bieber:  
 _And she knows how to message back. I am wonderful at parodies, aren't I?_

Beca:  
 _Shut up. I am trying to sleep._

Jesse Bieber:  
 _SLEEP?! AT 7 p.m?! I was going to invite you over to my place this weekend... which is in three days, and now... I'm still going to invite you!_

Beca:  
 _No way._

Jesse Bieber:  
 _YOU JUST BROKE MY HEART! SUCH A MASSIVE BLOW FOR SUCH A LITTLE THING!_

Beca:  
 _1\. Your heart is for your girlfriend to break.  
2\. You are one step away from castration._

Jesse Bieber:  
 _Good point. Oh well, I'll continue harassing you until you say yes._

Beca:  
 _As if you can do that with all your admirers tailing you around. And shouldn't your girlfriend be with you?_

Jesse Bieber:  
 _Aubrey's being a pain in my ass. And I hate her._

Beca:  
 _Wow, and why are you telling me this? I think you are drunk._

Jesse:  
 _I am not, elf. And I have the strangest feeling we will be partners for English._

Beca:  
 _That's creepy. And... Still no._

Content with her last message, she switched her phone off, ignoring the vibrations. She stared at the ceiling, processing the conversation. What did he mean when he said he wanted to invite her over to his place? This was getting way to awkward for its own good. And 'harassing'? She didn't want to stick around to know what that meant. Aubrey being a pain in his ass? He didn't tell her that, did he? Beca giggled softly as she imagined the outcomes of his confession to Aubrey. Projectile vomiting? Tomato face with lasting effects for a week? Pfft.

* * *

Another day of monotony. Why did she have to go to school at all? Freaking teachers, freaking classes, freaking social circles, freaking sorority girls, freaking... everything. Including freaking Swanson (she sort of gave up using his full name). At least she had a few misfits to entertain her, and somewhere to be where she wasn't shunned most of the time. And unfortunately, Thursday ended in English and Biology. As if things weren't already horrible enough. And his harassment plan... she didn't like the sound of that.

Lunch was the same as always. Chloe and co. would chat about how Mrs longan actually looked like a longan, and who they would want as dates for prom at the end of the year. Jesus freaking Christ. It was only Term 1, and they were talking about something at the end pf the year...

"Um... guys, why are you talking about prom now?" Beca inquired, her mouth full of chicken sandwich.

Stacie raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at her and rolled her eyes, "Beca, we need to sort out our dates immediately, just so other people don't get them before we do. Just because you already have Jesse Swanson, that doesn't mean we can't start deciding."

At this, Beca choked on her sandwich, "What?!"

The others stared at her.

"You mean you don't like him?!" Chloe watched Beca chewing her sandwich in horror, "Even after he asked for your phone - "

Fat Amy gave her a sharp slap on the arm.

After gulping down the remains of her lunch, Beca glanced suspiciously at Chloe.

"You gave him my phone number?!" That explained the torrent of messages yesterday from the unknown number.

"Oh, and he gave you his as well, didn't he?" Donald smirked at her.

"How - Wha - ?"

"We saw it all, dude, you were staring at the paper in your hand like it was a snake!"

"You stalkers!" Beca growled at them.

"Hey hey, you were at the school gate, anyone could have seen you!"

"How'd you know about the note?"

"Benji." Stacie declared, gesturing to the pink-faced magician on her right.

He shrunk back at Beca's intimidating glare. He'd hear about this later. Right now, Beca needed to clear her head. King of asshats and Queen of Bitches would be arriving soon, after some stupid drama rehearsal or some lame thing called 'acapella' (she totally did not sneak a peek at his timetable in English), and that meant she had very little time before she had to leave.

* * *

"How do you manage to catch up with me every time?" Beca sighed as Jesse approached her.

"You're an elf, remember?"

"No, I swear, if I were locked up in the janitor's closet, you'd be sitting right next to me."

"Lucky guess?"

She shot him an annoyed glance (but having been subject to them for the last few days, he had grown used to them).

"You have to come over, I have a feeling we are English partners."

"Creepy moron.. How'd you know that then?"

"A feeling."

Squinting at him, she threw him a suspicious raised eyebrow and entered the classroom.

* * *

"So, class, this is your second last period of the day!" Mrs Longan clapped her hands (what were they, kindergarten?), "We will be doing a group project... on the influence of John Keats!"

Just great. _Wonderful_. John Keats... wasn't he the dead guy who wrote the dreadfully boring poem 'To Autumn'?

"You'll be picking you partner's name out of a hat... so, pairs will be totally random. Right, first, Benji Applebaum!"

She watched Benji stagger to the front of the classroom, tripping on the ends of his cape. His hand shook uncontrollably as he dipped into the hat, brandishing a name before stammering, "Em - Emily... J - Junk." A tall brunette smiled as he approached her, pulling out a chair for him as an awkward conversation ensued. The names went down the roll, and before long, Beca was called up. Swanson had not been picked yet. Please, please, be one of those blonde bimbos or the muscly hunks in the back corners... Her hand reached inside and fumbled with the slips of paper. She pulled out the bottom one, and unfolded it in her nimble fingers. Taking a deep breath, she read it.

 _Jesse Swanson_.

She groaned audibly, as she glanced at the glowing grin on Jesse's face. No... What did she do to deserve such a goddamn sucky life?!

* * *

 **A/N: Where do all these coincidences come from?! I don't know. Three words of Justin Bieber's song is in here, and the parodies are MINE! STRICTLY MINE! Okay, please review. I think I'm high. No, seriously.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, okay. I am a complete idiot, doing three stories at once. But because I value peace and my organs, I will present you with the next chapter of 'You Ready?'.**

* * *

"Now, you _can't not_ come over to my house," Jesse beamed as they walked out of English.

After an entire ten minutes of begging and crying ( _exaggeration,_ people, she would never do that), Beca decided it was pointless. Mrs Longan was hard as hell, there was no breaking into that hard shell of hers. She dismissed Beca's constant pleas for a partner change, with a simple question to Jesse - "Do you want Miss Mitchell to be your partner for our Keats unit?". And being the dick he was, Jesse nodded enthusiastically, and with just that response from the star pupil, her decision was finalised - "Beca, no complaints please, unless you want detention." And Beca knew that there was no point in a detention, she would still be stuck with the dickhead for the rest of the term anyway.

Beca glared at him, flames dancing dangerously in her icy pupils.

"One wrong move, Swanson, and you're an eunuch," Beca growled, knuckles white with taut rage.

"Okay, okay..." Jesse knitted his forehead together in thought, "Do you have History next?"

"No, I have goddamn Biology!"

Some of the bystanders turned to stare at them. _Crap._ What now? Fake Eyelashes whispered to Fake Hair Extensions, who automatically began texting the rest of the Fake Club. She knew them. They were the biggest gossips in the school, and were the first to comment on her dreadful clothing last year. If they took this... this _thing_ the wrong way, Beca was in huge trouble. Huge trouble with Aubrey Posen. And that basically meant... you do not want to know about it.

"Dude, get lost, like, right now!" Beca hissed at the infuriating boy at her side.

"Why?! We just made - "

"Shut up, news spreads like wildfire around here. And see those girls? Aubrey will know about _this_ , " she gestured between them, "in no time."

"But - "

But, Beca was already out of sight before he finished uttering his first word.

* * *

The Queen Bee of the Fake Club would hear about this, no doubt. Beca knew that. Just one tap on the send button, and _snap,_ the entire school will know within a day. She couldn't afford to leave _now._ She's made it this far, and she wasn't going to trash all her efforts to get to LA after this scenario. This was her second high school, her second chance, and she wasn't going to waste it. In her Junior years, she'd been picked on, despised and ridiculed. So she leapt at the opportunity to transfer to this high school once she had found out her mother was planning to work in Atlanta. Her mother sat her down, as all mothers did, and gave her the _long_ talk about the Senior part of high school. It was a chance to 'redeem herself' after the 'unfortunate situation' in her previous school. And that was precisely what Beca did. She tried to claw her way to LA, keeping her head down for the first year, and now, this moron and his obnoxious fake girlfriend was attempting to foil her plans.

Why she had never noticed the rocketing fame of Jesse Swanson? She didn't care, and nor would she ever care. Why would someone else's fame matter to her? She was her own person. The lovey dovey romantic dribbles were all bullshit, from her experience. Every relationship ended in heartbreak, so why bother? The kiss would only be for... _professional_ purposes. And after that, Swanson could go one way, and she could go another. Perfect.

At 10 p.m. that night, there was a loud ding on her phone. Who would be messaging her at this ungodly hour? It better be important, otherwise they'd have to put up with a sleep-deprived zombie tomorrow. She read the text, eyes blurry with weariness.

 _Chloe:  
Oh my god, Beca! You looooooooooooooove him! B and J! B and J! Yay!  
1 attachment._

What? She hadn't done anything wrong, hopefully. Beca tentatively opened the attachment, and a string of profanities hurtled out of her mouth as she realised what it was. There was a photoshopped picture of Swanson and her holding hands, and walking down the hallway. It was titled, ' _Are you kiddin' Swanson_?' Holy. Shit. It must have been the Fake Club. It must have been them. Now, she had another problem to worry about. Aubrey Posen. Why was her life so goddamn unlucky?

Beca growled at her phone. She didn't want to go to school tomorrow, but she had no choice. Her mother might not be strict, but she's a dedicated supporter of education. And school meant English. And English meant projects. And projects meant partners. And partners meant Swanson.

Her thoughts spun haphazardly in her head. Why was he always so eager to be with _her_ of all people? And dammit, she _kinda_ like being with him. (No, no, she did not just say that, Beca the Badass, badass... badass...) He was... stranger than most people she had to admit. He wasn't the type that jeered at the nerds and misfits - she'd seen him talk white fondly with Benji a few times. He didn't tease her about her clothes or her makeup - he'd said "Lookin' hot" once (much to her annoyance). He didn't hang out with his personal fan club at every opportunity - "They're so annoying, you're way better to be around" (Much to her delight, wait no, she didn't say that). He was better than most people. And she liked that. She liked how he didn't push her buttons (except for badgering her about coming over to his house - she wasn't his freaking girlfriend, goddammit). Jesse was decent.

* * *

Beca dreaded the sight of the school gate as she turned onto the street. Before, she couldn't have cared less, but now, she felt as if the entire school was against her.

"Beca!" a familiar high pitched squeal startled her.

Beca turned to see her red-headed friend (yes, yes, Beca Mitchell has finally made a friend...) bound towards her.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it! You can be his girlfriend now! You know - "

"Stop! Chloe!" Beca shook the red-head out of her ramble, "I don't like him! I never held hands with him!"

Chloe stared at her. "There was a photo..."

"PHOTOSHOP! P-H-O-T-O-S-H-O-P! I would never hold hands with that moron!"

"Ah, okay... But you guys make an awesome couple."

What part of 'I don't like him' did she not understand?

"Just stop Chloe. Please."

"Okay, okay, well, let's go to the main office to get my application for the art competition!"

"Yeah, whatever."

They walked across the quad to the main office, a looming grey building, three storeys tall. Chloe skipped forward to open the glass doors as they approached it. Beca sighed, maybe the day wouldn't be so bad after all...

"Hey Bec, I got my application, can I just quickly go to see Mr Hayes to get his signature? You don't need to come."

"That's fine, I'm used to being a loner."

"Meet you in History!"

And with an overly enthusiastic wave, Chloe dashed off to the art block. Beca watched her friend leave and checked her phone. Forty minutes left until school started. Why did she have to come so goddamn early? And today of all days. When she was in the predatory range of the Queen Bee's chainsaw. If she skirted around the school, on the perimeter, until school started, perhaps -

"Mitchell."

A voice spat behind her. Beca froze instantly. She knew that voice.

"We need to have a chat."

Turning around, Beca came face to face with the one, the only, bitch of Grade 12, Aubrey Posen.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, okay, guys... Please? Don't wave your pitch forks and throw tomatoes at me... (And if you do throw tomatoes, throw them at my mouth.) And as usual, read and review.**

 **LeYoYo out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am so sorry (not really) to keep you waiting. I just published another two stories, complete stupidity on my part, and now have five too many to do. My apologies.**

* * *

"So, Mitchell... I have heard... some pretty disturbing rumours." There was that nasty glint in Aubrey's eyes.

So this was Aubrey Posen. Beca eyes washed over the tall statuesque blonde before her. Versace dress, Gucci purse, Prada heels. Sleek blonde hair, flawless skin and long, toned legs. She had never been in such close proximity of the school queen. Noticing the amusement riddled in the malice of Aubrey's face, Beca straightened up, determined to not let her guard down.

"What rumours?"

"About Jesse of course. He is my boyfriend after all."

Beca glared at her. "How would you know?"

"Honey," Aubrey's high-pitched voice laughed, "We all know that there is a nobody lusting after my Jesse for his money. After all, look at this photo."

Slender manicured fingers procured a phone with the blasted picture on it. She seethed at the sight of it. She should have never agreed to the dare - now, she had to fulfil it, therefore endangering her life from the sharp nail extensions of the bitch in front of her. "I never touched him, let alone hold his hand. There is something called _photoshop_."

"And you are a gold digging nobody."

What a nerve this girl had! "I don't even like him. It is not my fault that he is my English partner! It is not my fault that he sits next to me! Are you deaf?! I don't like him!" Beca snarled at Aubrey, eyes, gleaming daggers ready to stab the slut in back.

"Liar. You are trying to steal Jesse away from me. You are trying to invade the higher social classes. But I tell you what, Beca," Beca could smell her Chanel perfume, as Aubrey's face inched closer, "you will not get away with it. He is mine, and only mine."

"Fine, have it your way. I don't even want him near me." Deep inside, Beca knew that it was a complete and utter lie, Jesse was the one who made her feel safe. He was the only person (aside from her friends), who cared.

"If you get too close, Beca, things will, and I will hold my word, get ugly for you." With her last statement, Aubrey sashayed away to her groupies.

The brunette stared after the blonde's retreating form. _What the heck just happened?_

"Beca!" She was shaken into reality by a bone-crushing hug from Chloe. "I just got his signature, and - wait, was Aubrey just here?"

"Hmm..."

"I just saw Alice and Callie. And they are always with Aubrey."

"Yeah, she was here."

"Oh my god!" Chloe shrieked, shaking Beca. "What did the bitch say?!"

She shook her friend off and muttered, "Nothing much. Just for me to stay away from her boyfriend."

"Girl, you can't be intimidated by a Barbie Doll."

"I know - the sooner I get the dare over and done with, the better."

Chloe giggled, "You aren't getting out of Mission Jeca that easily."

"Jeca?!"

"Jesse and Beca. Or do you prefer Besse? Or Becse? Or maybe... Jesseca?"

Beca buried her face in her hands.

* * *

"WHAT?!"

She cringed. Of course Chloe was going to tell the others _everything_. That was one of the disadvantages of having a prying big-mouthed redhead for a friend.

"She's gonna pay! FAT POWER!" Fat Amy pounded the table so hard that Beca thought it would collapse.

"She's got fake tits, hair and nails! Jesse should know that!" Stacie adjusted her breasts and straightened her posture. "My beauties think so too!"

"I want to set her on fire with my matches," Lilly brandished ten boxes of matches, still in their packaging. For once, Beca agreed with Lilly. "Then, the plastic will drip off and I can finish my Annabelle replica." Okay, that was slightly weird.

"Even Leila wants to poop on her head," Benji added, stroking the white dove.

Donald fist-pumped, "Beca and Jesse!"

"So what'd you guys think? Jeca, Besse, Jesseca or Becse?" Chloe squealed.

Beca sighed - she would never be able to escape this. "Guys, it's just a dare. And I don't even like him."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't like you." Thanks a lot Stacie. "You are like Romeo and Juliet. Oh my god! Romeo is so hot in the - "

"We don't need to know about that, but come on, Beca! The way he looks at you is so obvious. He likes you. And by 'like' I mean _like_ , as in _loves_ you," Donald leaned over. "We used to be best friends in elementary school... so I know him very well."

"Can't we just let this go yet? I hate him with every fibre of my being!"

"Are you going to his house?" Benji chirped.

Oh my god. The nerdy magician strikes again. Beca shredded his grin with a glare. "No."

"But - "

"No. _No._ Benji. Just. Drop. It."

He gulped visibly and resumed stroking Leila's feathers. But Beca knew this was not going to be the end of it.

"House?!" Chloe squeaked. "This is perfect! Oh my god, this is the first step to Mission Jeca!"

"CHLOE BEALE! I thought this was just a dare - not some matchmaking crap!" Beca growled, huffing as she stared at her lunch.

"That's right, Becadoodle! _Was._ It _was_ a dare. Now, it's Mission Jeca," Chloe chirped, unfazed by Beca's growls. Becadoodle? She had to be kidding her.

Stacie tapped her on the shoulder, and nonchalantly said, "And when you do go over to his house, can you tell me how big the bed is? And how sturdy the frame is? Hopefully you won't be too _preoccupied_ with him to notice."

Beca choked on her sandwich. What the actual hell? _Preoccupied_? "What?!"

The taller brunette grinned knowingly at her. "I hear he is an animal in bed. I want to make sure my bed doesn't break again, so I need to know the brand of his mattresses and what type of frame he has."

Widening her eyes, Beca almost fainted right there. Of all the people that she could've been friends with, she was stuck with this lot of idiots. Well, actually, she really enjoyed spending her time with them, but right now, she wanted to throttle each and every one of them slowly and painfully.

"I'm not going to his house."

The six of them stared at her, frozen in shock. It was really creepy, the half eaten food in her hands, their mouths were hanging open and their eyes just about bulged out of their sockets. Each one was statue still - not even their clothing moved. "Uh guys... kinda creeping me out here."

Chloe was the first to recover. She shook her head at Beca, and gave her a pitiful smile. "Beca... You poor thing."

Beca embraced herself for any weird shit Lilly would say as she opened her mouth. "Why aren't you going?" Finally, nothing cryptic, creepy or weird. But she asked the only question Beca was trying to avoid. With a sigh, Beca answered her, "Because Aubrey will beat my ass off - not that I can't handle it - and I don't even like him."

"You are mad, Beca. You may not like him, but as I have said before, he likes you," Donald said as he nudged Fat Amy, who was eyeing Beca with that dangerous gleam in her eyes - she knew that she was not going to like what Amy was about to say.

"Well, you are going whether you want to or not, flatbutt. And you have to tell us if you two were at it like dingoes. Don't try to lie, because our Sex Queen here can detect a freshly-fucked person from miles away." Fat Amy gestured to Stacie who was now smiling, as she brandished a nail file.

"I am telling you! I AM NOT GOING TO HIS HOU - "

"Who's house?" this voice was different. And it was coming from right behind her - she knew that husky voice anywhere. Spinning around, she confirmed her suspicions as she saw a tall chocolate-haired boy hastily retreating from her icy glare. Jesse Swanson. "Yours," she hissed.

"Bec, why aren't you coming?" His reproachful expression instantly softened her up.

"I - "

"What little Beca here means," Donald winced as Beca smacked him on the arm, "is that she would be delighted to 'study' with you." He even added the air quotation marks. That traitor.

"Well! That's perfect! I'll pick you up at precisely nine," Jesse winked at her. "See you tomorrow." His personal troupe of bimbos surrounded him again, after shooting Beca dirty looks. Part of her wanted to smirk at them and yell 'Too bad, bitches, Jesse wants _me_ over at his house', but what she really wanted to do now was castrate Donald and choke him to death. Now she had to go to Jesse's house, because he was one of the only friends she had, (but mostly because she hated see him upset, as much as she hated to admit it).

"You'll pay later, Donald."

Chloe piped up, "The rest of us were planning to do it, but Donald beat us to the punch."

Sighing as she filed her nails, Stacie sniffed, "Now, I will never get the money to get another vibrator. Jake isn't working like he used to."

All Beca could do was stare at her in disgust before turning away and exiting the cafeteria.

* * *

Later that night, Beca was tossing and turning in her bed, willing her stupid self to sleep. She didn't want to think about Jesse, or that stupid dare. After a few more minutes of restlessness, her body finally allowed her to sleep. As she drifted off, her dream-like state began whispering. Even when her consciousness had slipped away, Beca began muttering, "Jesse."

And it was only then that Beca had feelings, even if they were only very small, for him. It was a strictly platonic friendship, or so she kept telling herself. But she was too stubborn to accept the truth.

* * *

 **A/N: So please review, and tell me if you spot any mistakes. Did you like my ending? Beca realises she ' _like_ _s_ ' him, sort of. I'm going to predict that this story will be ten or so chapters. This is the longest thing I have ever written, and I am still trying to keep my head above the water with all the other stories. What will happen next when she goes over to his house to study?**


End file.
